Jan M Pederson

PRO

Jan M Pederson

4.8
Rating: 9.6

Licensed for 51 years

Immigration Lawyer at Bethesda, MD
Practice Areas: Immigration

6931 Arlington Road, Suite 450, Bethesda, MD

Virtual Consultation Available

About Jan

Biography

Innovative Solutions, Zealous Advocacy, and Trusted Experience.

Practice Areas

1

Practice Area

Immigration 100%

Practice focues on representing health care providers and physician with immigration needs; on consular processing around the world and EB5 investor green cards. Call now for a case evaluation and let Attorney Pederson help you today.

46 years | 15,000 cases

100%

Fees and Rates

We have not found any cost information for this lawyer

Awards

Client's Choice
Client's Choice
2024 2019 2017
...
+ 5
AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating

Licenses

Licensed in Virginia for 13 years

State: Virginia

Acquired: 2012

Active

No misconduct found

Licensed in District of Columbia for 51 years

State: District of Columbia

Acquired: 1975

Good Standing

No misconduct found

Location

Wright, Constable & Skeen, LLP

6931 Arlington Road, Suite 450, Bethesda, MD, 20814

wcslaw.com/attorneys/jan-pederson/

Online Presence

Other places you can find Jan online.

Jan M Pederson's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.8 /5.0

80 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (80) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 1 - 2 of 2 reviews | 2 stars

Posted by anonymous | June 23, 2013 | Immigration

Not the attorney I would hire

I would not recommend this attorney to anyone I know. She is Personal and she will judge you by your looks: if she doesn't like you she will try to get her feelings across in a rather crude way, unbecoming of a professional law practitioner. Howard University Graduate she seems to harbor ill sentime...nts about Harvard Graduates. A former attorney at Cramer, Haber and Becker she now runs her own ptractice. She may tell you a story about one of her clients who asked her a question and was, in response, told some irrelevant story, in lieu of an answer (!). Then she will give a short pause, add loud "F*** YOU!" ( presumably referring to the "bad" client) and then explain to you that if that "bad" client had half wits he/she would "understand" what was being communicated to them via seemingly irrelevant story. I never imagined clients who seek appointments with Immigration Lawyers meet latter to solve puzzles and guess answers to their pressing questions by absorbing some irrelevant, odd story spiced with some vulgar language, my fault. Overall, she has very high opinion of herself and will put an air of " I know this Judge, I know thAt Judge...." etc. One thing alarmed me particularly when she said she is an "expert" in reversing the decisions of Consular Officers who denied someone a Visa. From what I understand Consular Officers aren't exactly folks that can be easily pushed around: if you are refused Visa and there is a reason they believe you should not get a Visa then you are pretty much done. No sweet talking lawyer will change their mind if they are set on it and you gave them evidence you are not qualified for a Visa. They are Foreign Service Officers, if they decided to stamp 214 b in your passport you better show a genuine change of circumstances before they will reconsider their decision. And any lawyer who implies that they can almost for certain overturn CO decision is a sure sign of a trouble for the client. I won't say she is a swindler, I have no evidence of her wrongdoing and she didn't charge me for anything she didn't do, but I would be extra careful retaining this attorney. Oh, and be prepared to drink a full glass of water while watching an Egyptian Mosaic on the wall. It will be at least half an hour to forty five minutes past the appointment time before she greets you. And her lovely secretary will promise to "Kill your name" (whatever that means I have no idea) before letting you go. It just didn't feel right.

Posted by anonymous | November 29, 2012 | Immigration

Unsatisfying Consultation

My husband and I went to Jan for a consultation before we got married to discuss our case (what options we faced with regards to visas, etc). The initial consultation was very expensive, and it lasted one hour. Jan began the meeting by telling us a story about another client and it was hard to get ...her to focus on our case. I would estimate that of the hour, we wasted about 25 minutes listening to her discuss matters unrelated to our situation. While she appeared very competent and experienced, she seemed to not take us seriously and it was clear she was simply not that interested in helping us.

See All Client Reviews

Jan M Pederson's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Jan
Ali Herischi headshot
Ali Herischi

Immigration lawyer | Nov 23

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. She has a great reputation and takes her client's needs very seriously."

Sharareh Borhani Hoidra headshot
Sharareh Hoidra

Immigration lawyer | May 28

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Thank you Ms. Pederson for being who you are - I'm sure you're not aware of this, but you inspired me to become an immigration attorney. Many years ago you helped my father secure asylum. You also helped my family members and I (I was 4 years old at the time) follow to join from Iran. Well fast forward 25 years and here I am practicing law in MD and helping others just like you helped me. Thank you for inspiring me. Your influence has spanned generations."

Sean Cleary headshot
Sean Cleary

Immigration lawyer | Apr 24

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. A brilliant attorney and a highly respected one in the legal community."

Margaret D. Stock headshot
Margaret Stock

Immigration lawyer | Dec 28

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"Jan and I have worked together on several matters over the years. I have been highly impressed with her work ethic; she is tireless in serving her clients. Jan is particularly worth hiring if you need assistance with consular processing issues; she is the only attorney in the US who has a comprehensive and encyclopedic knowledge of all US consulates. Jan is also known for her devotion to the complexities of non-immigrant and immigrant visas for health care professionals."

Joshua Charles Teets headshot
Joshua Teets

Immigration lawyer | Jul 22

Relationship: Worked for lawyer

"I endorse this lawyer. Jan has been my mentor (and immigration law goddess) since 1999. She has impeccable ethics and her knowledge of immigration law is unmatched. Most importantly, Jan has a keen ability to see through to the core of a case, and decipher not only the importance of hidden facts but also to develop a winning strategy for her clients. Time and again Jan is able to achieve outcomes for her clients that other lawyers simply cannot. Highly recommended."

Linda Ann Rahal headshot
Linda Rahal

Immigration lawyer | Feb 28

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Jan is one of the most knowledgable attorneys in immigration, with expertise in visas for doctors and consular processing. She is always willing to go the extra mile for her clients. She is a superb lawyer!"

David A. M. Ware headshot
David Ware

Immigration lawyer | Feb 06

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Jan is a walking encyclopedia of immigration law, but she also has a rock hard common sense about case strategy and the winning personality and persistence to get to the person who can make a decision on a difficult case. She also is a walking rolodex of everyone in DHS and the Department of State, and this enables her to get things done when other lawyers are just reading the regulations. Jan is up close and personal with her clients, and she's wonderfully accessible. I would highly recommend Jan for any case that's a hard nut to crack."

Linda Rose headshot
Linda Rose

Immigration lawyer | Jan 18

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Take the most impossible, improbable, challenging case. Jan Pederson can get it done. It amazes me how this lawyer can work, especially when it comes to consular processing and that very complex area of J-1 medical doctors. When I have these types of questions, I go to Jan. She undoubtely has a solution."

Peter D. Williamson headshot
Peter Williamson

Immigration lawyer | Jan 17

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse this lawyer. She is one of the best and most aggressive immigration lawyers in the entire United States. Absolutely top-notch."

Daniel Mark Kowalski headshot
Daniel Kowalski

Immigration lawyer | Jan 17

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"There is a small cadre of lawyers at the top of any field. Jan Pederson is in that cadre in immigration law. I value her advice and insights immensely."

Jodilyn Marie Goodwin headshot
Jodilyn Goodwin

Immigration lawyer | Nov 11

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. She makes the impossible possible!"

Mark Alan Ivener headshot
Mark Ivener

Immigration lawyer | Nov 08

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I strongly endorse this lawyer’s work. She is truly excellent. She is an expert in all areas of business immigration law and highly recognized in doctor immigration cases."

Jane P Devlin headshot
Jane Devlin

Immigration lawyer | Sep 10

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Jan Pederson enjoys the respect of immigration lawyers in the US and around the world. She is particularly known for her expertise in consular matters. Experienced immigration attorneys turn to her for advice when they encounter thorny consular issues."

Bruce A Hake headshot
Bruce Hake

Immigration lawyer | Jul 20

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"When it comes to difficult immigration law matters, especially consular matters, Jan Pederson is the best lawyer in the United States. I say this after working together with her on many cases over a period of more than 20 years."

Ester Greenfield headshot
Ester Greenfield

Immigration lawyer | Aug 01

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Jan is courageous, knowledgeable, experienced, scholarly, and tireless. She is able to win results in the most complex of immigration scenarios. I highly recommend her."

Tarik H Sultan headshot
Tarik Sultan

Immigration lawyer | Jul 30

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer's work. She is excellent."

Jay I. Solomon headshot
Jay Solomon

Immigration lawyer | Jun 12

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse this lawyer's work. Jan works very hard for her clients. She is creative, and is able to obtain good results in "impossible" cases."

View All Endorsements
Margaret D. Stock headshot
Margaret Stock

Immigration lawyer

Kathleen Christine Gasparian headshot
Kathleen Gasparian

Immigration lawyer

Carl Michael Shusterman headshot
Carl Shusterman

Immigration lawyer

Devon E Roscoe headshot
Devon Roscoe

Immigration lawyer

Marsha Edelman headshot
Marsha Edelman

Immigration lawyer

Linda Ann Rahal headshot
Linda Rahal

Immigration lawyer

Steven A. Clark headshot
Steven Clark

Immigration lawyer

Jodilyn Marie Goodwin headshot
Jodilyn Goodwin

Immigration lawyer

Ester Greenfield headshot
Ester Greenfield

Immigration lawyer

Martin James Lawler headshot
Martin Lawler

Immigration lawyer

Mark Alan Ivener headshot
Mark Ivener

Immigration lawyer

Kathrin Susan Mautino headshot
Kathrin Mautino

Immigration lawyer

Peter D. Williamson headshot
Peter Williamson

Immigration lawyer

Ann Allott headshot
Ann Allott

Immigration lawyer

Jay I. Solomon headshot
Jay Solomon

Immigration lawyer

James Joseph Orlow headshot
James Orlow

Immigration lawyer

Allen E. Kaye headshot
Allen Kaye

Immigration lawyer

David A. M. Ware headshot
David Ware

Immigration lawyer

Joshua Charles Teets headshot
Joshua Teets

Immigration lawyer

Experience

Rating:  9.6 (Superb)

Honors

2021

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers (2007-2021)

2021

Best Lawyer, Washington Best Lawyers in America (1995-2021)

2017

Roberta Freedman Lifetime Achievement Award, International Medical Graduates Task Force

2015

AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

2012

Lawyer of the Year, Immigration Law, Washington Best Lawyers

1997

Edith Lowenstein Award for Excellence, American Immigration Lawyers Association

Work Experience

2021 - Present

Partner, Wright, Constable & Skeen, LLP

2013 - 2021

Shareholder/Senior Attorney, Maggio & Kattar, PC

2005 - 2013

Attorney/Owner, Pederson Immigration Law Group, PC

1991 - 2005

Attorney/Partner, Pederson & Freedman, LLP

1980 - 1991

Attorney/Owner, Law Offices of Jan M. Pederson, P.C.

Associations

2008 - Present

Consular Corps of Washington, D.C.

Member

1995 - Present

French-American Chamber of Commerce

Member

1990 - Present

IMMLAW/The National Consortium of Immigration Law Firms

Founding Member

1980 - Present

International Bar Association

Member

1978 - Present

American Immigration Lawyers Association

Member/Elected National Director

1975 - Present

American Bar Association

Member

1975 - Present

District of Columbia Bar

Member

NAACP

Member

Babes on Bikes

Foreign Medical Graduate Task Force

National Association of Physician Recruiters

Member

Education

1974

Howard University School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1971

University of Washington

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Publications

2008

N/A

AILA Monthly Mailing Refugee and Asylum Practice: Avoiding Discretionary Denials

N/A

Unknown Proper Utilization of the B-1 and H Working Visas

N/A

Unknown Adjustment of Status

N/A

Unknown Labor Certification: Procedures and Problems

N/A

Unknown The Refugee Act of 1980, An Operational Perspective

N/A

Unknown Refugee and Asylum Procedures

N/A

N/A

Immigration Briefings Consular Processing of Nonimmigrant Visas

Languages

Spanish

Activity

Avvo Rating

Our Rating is calculated using information the lawyer has included on their profile in addition to the information we collect from state bar associations and other organizations that license legal professionals. Attorneys who claim their profiles and provide Avvo with more information tend to have a higher rating than those who do not.

What determines Avvo Rating?
  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
  • Legal community recognition Peer endorsements, associations, awards
  • Legal thought leadership Publications, speaking engagements
  • Discipline Disciplinary information may not be comprehensive, or updated. We recommend that you always check a lawyer's disciplinary status with their respective state bar association before hiring them.
Avvo Rating Levels
10.0 - 9.0 Superb8.9 - 8.0 Excellent7.9 - 7.0 Very Good6.9 - 6.0 Good5.9 - 5.0 Average4.9 - 4.0 Concern3.9 - 3.0 Caution2.9 - 2.0 Strong Caution1.9 - 1.0 Extreme Caution